Podcast Summary: The Moth – "Veterans Day: The Moth Podcast"

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: John Good
Featured Storytellers: Scott Young, Tom Sitter

Episode Overview

This special Veterans Day episode features two live stories from veterans and a reflective conversation, spotlighting the profound impact of war on individuals and families. The episode's purpose is to honor the service, courage, and memories of veterans, offering listeners authentic, moving true stories told in vivid detail, as well as insights that reach across generations.

Key Discussion Points & Story Summaries

1. Introduction to Veterans Day & Episode Theme

• Host John Good (02:05):
  • Sets the historical and emotional tone, explaining the significance of Veterans Day as a time to remember and elevate the service and sacrifice of those in the military.
  • "Every year on November 11, we remember and honor their commitment, service and sacrifice."

2. Story One: Scott Young — "Just Like Your Father"

Told at a London Grand Slam, Theme: Lost and Found

[02:54 – 09:01]

Key Themes:

• Legacy, loss, pride, and complicated inheritance of war in military families
• A son’s journey to make peace with the memory of a father lost in Vietnam

Narrative Arc & Highlights:

• Physical Resemblance and Family History:
  • Scott muses on the comments that he's "just like [your] father," clarifying that his physical traits (a full beard, muscular legs) actually come from his mother (02:54).
• Father’s Story:
  • Father was killed in Vietnam when Scott was 2 years old.
  • He faced a tragic choice between getting released early from active duty or spending a short leave with his family; he chose duty, died a hero, but "the one war America lost." (03:36)
• Buried Grief and Social Context:
  • Addresses lack of support and acknowledgment given to Vietnam veterans and their families ("Vietnam war veterans didn’t get any parades... it was an embarrassment." (04:35)).
  • "Nobody back then honored my mother and I by calling us a Gold Star family."
• The Washington DC Visit:
  • At age 24, Scott visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during Bill Clinton's inauguration (05:20).
    • By coincidence, he visits on January 19th—his father's birthday—realizing for the first time the depth of his loss.
    • "Standing there in the sea of flowers, mementos, notes... burning candles everywhere at my feet, I was overwhelmed. I suddenly realized, you know, all those times people said sorry and I said, 'don't be, I never knew him,' was exactly why they were sorry and why I was so sorry." (07:41)
• Memorable Moment & Quote:
  • A young stranger silently comforts him while he weeps.
    • "She beared witness to my grief. We didn’t speak. We didn’t have to." (08:05)
  • Concludes with finding pride in the comparison to his father:
    • "Now, now that makes me proud." (08:59)

3. Story Two: Tom Sitter — "Crossing the Rhine"

Told at Madison StorySlam, Theme: Karma

[11:55 – 19:07]

Key Themes:

• Camaraderie and rivalry among soldiers
• Perils and unlikely moments of humor in World War II
• The critical, harrowing crossing of the Rhine River

Narrative Arc & Highlights:

• Opening & Character:
  • Tom introduces himself: "93 years old and still breathing." (11:58)
• Rivalry with the 9th Armored Division:
  • Details playful (and sometimes not-so-playful) spats between his cavalry unit and the tankers, including bar fights, banter, and songs.
    • "The cavalry, the cavalry with dirt behind their ears... they couldn't whip the cavalry in a hundred thousand years." (13:04)
• The Rhine River Crossing:
  • Describes the dread at facing the Rhine, blown bridges, fear of crossing in "flimsy" pontoons. (14:30 – 16:55)
  • Recounts the heroics of the 9th Armored Division in securing the only intact bridge at Remagen, under constant threat, crawling under fire (16:15).
  • His own unit’s peril crossing the shaky pontoon, knowing a slip could be fatal to them and disastrous for the following troops:
    • "If we made one mistake, that ambulance was going to go into the water with us in it. And in doing so, we're going to wreck that pontoon bridge... our own troops would have been shooting at us." (16:55)
  • Pays tribute to the 9th Armored:
    • "I wouldn't be here had it not been for those, the incredible bravery of those glorious bastards. The 9th Armored Division." (18:40)
• Liberation and Aftermath:
  • Briefly references reaching and liberating Dachau and crossing into Bavaria as WWII ended (17:45).

4. Conversation: John Good Interviews Tom Sitter

[20:14 – 27:02]

Key Discussion Points:

• Why Did Tom Enlist?
  • "I had a Hollywood version of what the war was all about... we were all filled with enthusiasm." (20:55)
• How Did War Change You?
  • "Over a long period of time, it made me a pacifist and abhor war... war is so, so useless. Nobody really wins in a war." (21:22)
• Vivid Memories:
  • "Our division was one of two that liberated Dachau, the concentration camp... just mind twisting to see people treated like that." (21:59)
• German Surrender & The End of War:
  • "Germans were coming out of the woods with their hands up... had to be very careful. Some of them would come out, they'd get shot." (22:25, 22:45)
• Lighthearted Wartime Memory:
  • Recounts urinating in Hitler's bathtub after the war, sharing it as a point of irreverent pride (23:54).
    • "I want to be known as somebody that pissed in Hitler's bathtub." (24:07)
• Returning to Civilian Life:
  • "Millions of young guys looking for jobs... the skills that we learned in service were not helpful." (24:43)
• Advice for Future Generations:
  • "Try to be honest. Don't never lie to yourself... treat people like you would treat themselves. I've learned to hate bigotry." (25:36)
• Host Reflection:
  • John Good emphasizes the military's lesson: "We're all the same in a foxhole. There is no black, no white. We're just, we're in here together trying to push toward the same goal." (26:20)

Memorable Quotes:

• Tom Sitter, on war:

  • "War is so, so useless. Nobody really wins in a war." (21:22)

• On Dachau:

  • "Just mind twisting to see people treated like that." (21:59)

• On advice for living:

  • "Try to be honest. Never lie to yourself… treat people like you’d treat themselves. I’ve learned to hate bigotry." (25:36)

• Humorous badge of honor:

  • "I want to be known as somebody that pissed in Hitler's bathtub." (24:07)

5. Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Moment | |-----------|--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:36 | Scott Young | "It's hard being compared to a ghost." | | 07:41 | Scott Young | "All those times people said 'sorry' and I said, 'don't be, I never knew him,' was exactly why they were sorry and why I was so sorry." | | 08:05 | Scott Young | "She beared witness to my grief. We didn’t speak. We didn’t have to." | | 13:04 | Tom Sitter | "The cavalry, the cavalry, they drink up all the beers..." | | 16:55 | Tom Sitter | "If we made one mistake, that ambulance was going to go into the water with us in it. And in doing so, we're going to wreck that pontoon bridge..." | | 18:40 | Tom Sitter | "I wouldn't be here had it not been for those, the incredible bravery of those glorious bastards. The 9th Armored Division." | | 21:22 | Tom Sitter | "Over a long period of time, it made me a pacifist and abhor war. It wasn't until after I'd been in combat for a while..." | | 21:59 | Tom Sitter | "Our division was one of two that liberated Dachau, the concentration camp... just mind twisting to see people treated like that." | | 24:07 | Tom Sitter | "I want to be known as somebody that pissed in Hitler's bathtub." | | 25:36 | Tom Sitter | "Try to be honest. Don't never lie to yourself... I've learned to hate bigotry." | | 26:20 | John Good | "We're all the same in a foxhole. There is no black, no white. We're just, we're in here together trying to push toward the same goal." |

Conclusion & Tone

This Veterans Day episode of The Moth celebrates the ordinary and extraordinary within veterans’ stories—honoring their service while also holding space for the complexities and lasting impacts of war. The episode moves effortlessly from humor and camaraderie to deep personal reflection and advice for future generations, maintaining the authenticity and warmth characteristic of The Moth’s live storytelling.

For further stories, photos, and engagement, listeners are encouraged to visit themoth.org/extras.